City comparison
Lancaster, PA vs Port St. Lucie, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Port St. Lucie, FL are 2.0% higher than in Lancaster, PA. Someone earning $100,000 in Lancaster, PA would need about $102,000 in Port St. Lucie, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,467 a month in Port St. Lucie, FL versus $1,220 in Lancaster, PA. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Port St. Lucie, FL and 19% in Lancaster, PA.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,070 a year higher in Lancaster, PA than in Port St. Lucie, FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +4.4% moving from Lancaster, PA to Port St. Lucie, FL ($108,592 → $113,356), while prices change by +2.0%. Net effect of the transfer: +2.3% in real buying power.
- Lancaster, PA: price level 98.3 (about average)
- Port St. Lucie, FL: price level 100.2 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Lancaster, PA | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.3 | 100.2 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $102,006 in Port St. Lucie | $98,033 in Lancaster |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,220/mo | $1,467/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $76,110 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $3,070 (PA) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 19% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $48,210 | $46,490 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA | Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Rent areas: Lancaster, PA MSA and Port St. Lucie, FL MSA. Metro areas: Lancaster, PA and Port St. Lucie, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Lancaster | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 93.8 | 113.6 |
| Goods | 100.7 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 107.3 | 87.0 |
| Other services | 97.7 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 98.3 | 100.2 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Lancaster, PA → Port St. Lucie, FL
Roughly even
Buying power −2.0%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax −$3,070/yr.
63 Fair offer
Port St. Lucie, FL → Lancaster, PA
Same pay goes further
Buying power +2.0%; rent takes 19% of take-home; state tax +$3,070/yr.
75 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Lancaster, PA is in the Harrisburg-Lebanon, PA pay area; Port St. Lucie, FL is in Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Lancaster, PA to Port St. Lucie, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Lancaster, PA | Port St. Lucie, FL | Real change, Lancaster → Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $62,972 | $65,735 | +2.3% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $76,190 | $79,533 | +2.3% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $91,320 | $95,326 | +2.3% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $108,592 | $113,356 | +2.3% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $128,323 | $133,953 | +2.3% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Lancaster, PA | Port St. Lucie, FL | Port St. Lucie pay in Lancaster dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $78,360 | $53,610 | $52,556 (−32.9%) |
| Software Developers | $104,740 | $128,510 | $125,983 (+20.3%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $76,110 | $79,430 | $77,868 (+2.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $89,620 | $82,090 | $80,476 (−10.2%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.